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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28226244">In Your Warmth I Forget How Cold it Can Be</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Succubitch/pseuds/Succubitch'>Succubitch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Promare (2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Arson, Bottom Lio at the end, Christmas, Extra Cheesy, Fluff, Galo and Lio are dads they just don't know it yet, Galo gets the "he cries you die" talk from Gueira, Galo is best boy, Galo is emotionally intelligent, Galo just wants to make Lio feel good, Happy Ending, I worked a moppet into the story oops, Idiots in Love, Lio can sit on Galo like a throne it's his right to do so, Lio says fuck the police, M/M, Making Out In Public, Marriage Proposal, Meis and Gueira go have a more interesting adventure off screen, Post-Canon, Some angst, Threatening Letters, Threats towards children, Top Lio in the beginning, and ask big important life questions at 3am, doing dirty things in a dirty cab, he just wants his bf to be happy, oh look the horny budget kicked in, some dirty talk, the real mvps are the lesbian couple who run the orphanage, they're horny and in love, toddlers having meltdowns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:46:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,572</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28226244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Succubitch/pseuds/Succubitch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Galo wants to propose to his amazing, wonderful boyfriend Lio on Christmas Eve. </p><p>And it goes perfectly according to plan and definitely nothing bad happens.</p><p>(Featuring art from Octostardraws!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gueira/Meis (Promare), Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Promare Holiday Potluck 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In Your Warmth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm back again with a Christmas surprise! Here is my submission for the Promare Holiday Potluck!<br/>This was inspired by Octostardraws's incredible art piece titled "In Your Warmth I Forget How Cold it Can Be" - it's so soft and gorgeous, please go look at it - https://twitter.com/juugatsuhoshi/status/1329503995694632965?s=20<br/>However, my ideas for this story spun way out of control, so all of the saucy bits will be in chapter 2. Please look forward to that.<br/>Anyway, Octo made this BEAUTIFUL!!! art for this story - https://twitter.com/juugatsuhoshi/status/1341204216665260033?s=20 - Please go check it out!!! It's so gorgeous and I legit cried.<br/>Also, biggest thank you to SerotoninShift for helping me edit. She is THE BEST!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Galo woke up on that chilly Christmas Eve morning, he knew deep in his burning soul that today was going to be <em> special</em>.</p><p>Cuddling up next to him in nothing but one of Galo’s loose tee shirts and a thick pair of woolen socks was his boyfriend Lio, snoozing peacefully, his messy blonde hair fanning around his head like a halo. Galo was usually an early riser so he loved quiet moments like these, just the two of them together, just <em> existing</em>. No worries, no rushing. Simply soft sighs and steady heartbeats.</p><p>They have been together for over a year now; they’d just passed their official anniversary back in October. In the aftermath of the Parnassus disaster, the pair found themselves almost magnetically drawn to each other, constantly finding excuses to spend time together. Well, at the time, maybe Galo more so than Lio, but Galo was (unusually) patient as he used his burning soul to slowly melt the ice around Lio’s frigid demeanor. Galo wasn’t 100% sure if soulmates were a real thing, but he knew if he had one, it was definitely Lio.</p><p>That’s why Galo knew today was going to be special. Hidden beneath the bed in an innocuous storage container was the engagement ring he wanted to surprise Lio with.</p><p>He had the perfect date planned out. That evening they would go to a nice restaurant for dinner. Galo had managed to find one that had Lio’s favorite on the menu - crocodile. Afterwards he’d drive them both up to the frozen lake, a place that was special to both of them, before dropping down on one knee to propose. Assuming everything went well and Lio didn’t dump him on the spot, he had reserved a little cabin, located just outside the city limits, to stay the night where they could make sweet love on a bearskin rug (fake, hopefully) in front of a fireplace (also fake. Galo had already lit one fire and that was enough for him). And then the two of them would get to wake up on Christmas morning all cuddled up together.</p><p>Also Galo had prepared a powerpoint presentation for the occasion, he just hadn’t figured out where to fit it into his grand plan yet.</p><p>Galo thinks his plan is perfect. He loves Lio with all of his heart and only wants to make him happy. Surely, nothing would go wrong.</p><p>Next to him, Lio stirs slightly. Without opening his eyes, Lio murmurs into his pillow, “Quit staring at me and come keep me warm. It’s freezing in here.”</p><p>“Can’t help it,” Galo muses as he pulls Lio into his arms and plants a kiss on his forehead, “you look so cute drooling on your pillow. And besides, you wouldn’t be so cold if you wore more clothes to bed.”</p><p>“Funny, I remember wearing plenty of clothes to bed. Warm ones, too. But I seem to remember you peeling them off of me around 1AM claiming ‘they were in the way.’ Any of this sound familiar?”</p><p>“Hmmm…” Galo shrugs playfully, “maybe if you take them off again, I’ll remember better.”</p><p>Lio just rolls his eyes with a huff and wraps his arms around Galo’s neck, burying his nose into the crook of it. Together the two just lay there peacefully, basking in each other's warmth and letting the slow, syrupy minutes of the morning trickle by.</p><p>“We both have off today, don’t we?” Lio asks, breaking the comfortable silence between them, “and it’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Yup and yup!” Galo’s face lights up with a smile as he thinks, ‘<em> Here goes nothing.’ </em></p><p>“Since we’re both off and it <em> is </em> a holiday, I was hoping you would do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight, Mr. Fotia?” </p><p>Lio laughs as he arches an eyebrow at him. “Okay? That sure is a fancy way of asking me if I want to grab a pizza with you tonight.”</p><p>“Nope! Not pizza. A <em> nice </em> restaurant. The kind with a fancy wine menu and way too many forks. I had Aina explain the order, so I’m all set!”</p><p>Lio still looks confused. “Alright? That’s very sweet of you, but I’m perfectly fine with just having a regular night in with you.”</p><p>Well, Galo couldn’t let on that he was planning to propose tonight, so he went with the next best reason. “Yeah, but it’s Christmas Eve! You deserve something special! And well…we don’t really have close family we can visit… I mean, besides Burning Rescue! They’re really the closest thing I have left to family and they love having you around too! But pretty much everyone else is scheduled to work tonight. I-I just wanted to do a special dinner with you tonight is all. And because I love you.”</p><p>Lio cheeks get a bit pink at that last part. “Well, alright, <em> Mr. Thymos, </em>I would love to accompany you to dinner tonight. On one condition.”</p><p>“Oh? What did you have in mind?”</p><p>🔺🔺🔺</p><p>And that’s how a few short hours later Galo found himself in a Santa suit, with Lio, on his motorcycle, bringing a massive load of gifts and toys to the local Burnish orphanage. </p><p>When Lio asked him to come along, Galo’s answer was immediately <em> yes</em>. Galo knew how much taking care of the former Burnish meant to Lio, and if it was important to Lio, then it was important to him as well. So what if the suit was itchy and the beard kept tickling his nose; seeing the kid’s faces light up at Santa bringing them a mountain of gifts was surely worth it. And besides, it had been Galo’s idea in the first place for Burning Rescue to host a toy and charity drive for the Burnish children. Galo would never forget the way his heart did a backflip at the warm, genuine smile Lio gave him after he told him about his plan. </p><p>And clearly the plan had been a success, because they needed to hire a truck to drop all of the presents off. Galo hoped this was a sign that, even after all of the burning and the blazes, the city was finally starting to make peace with its integrating ex-Burnish inhabitants.</p><p>The orphanage was located near the Burning Rescue station. It was run out of a small but cozy house by a pair of former Burnish women who cared for the children full time. Galo and Lio make their way up the walkway of the orphanage together, each with a big sack of wrapped presents in tow. They’re greeted at the door by one of the caretakers, a quiet, kind woman named Thaelia, who assures them that the children will be ecstatic to see them here. </p><p>“Hey kids! Get down here!” the other, louder, caretaker shouts towards the 2nd floor, “Lio is here and he brought Santa with him!”</p><p>Immediately there is the sound of children shouting excitedly and the heavy clomping of a dozen or so feet racing for the staircase. Seven little happy faces come into view, ranging from age 11 down to a little girl not quite out of her toddler years, all laughter and excitement and lit up like Christmas.</p><p>“Look! The Boss is here and so is Santa!”</p><p>“HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS! SANTA IS HERE AND HE BROUGHT LOTS OF PRESENTS FOR ALL THE GOOD LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS!” Galo bellows and strikes a pose with all of the pomp and flair of one of his Burning Rescue fire truck launches.</p><p>“Hey wait! That’s not Santa! That’s just the boss’s boyfriend!” one little boy yells from the crowd of children gathered around them.</p><p>Lio is trying his best to hide his laughter behind one of his gloved hands as he whispers to Galo, “<em>You’re such a ham!” </em></p><p>“U-UH, I MOST CERTAINLY AM SANTA!” Galo asserts, failing terribly at damage control with little to no help from Lio, “JUST LOOK AT MY RED SUIT AND BAG FULL OF PRESENTS!”</p><p>But the charade is up when one little set of hands gets a hold of his white, fluffy beard and pulls, snapping back against Galo’s chin with a stinging ‘<em> thwap!’. </em>That was the final nail in the coffin.</p><p>“See! It’s just that firefighting guy! The one who makes smoochy faces at the Boss!” A chorus of giggles erupts amongst the children as Lio gives Galo a sympathetic pat on the back with an expression that clearly says <em> give it up</em>.</p><p>“Alright, alright, you got me!” Galo pulls off the beard and hat with an exasperated sigh. “But I’m telling you, Santa himself asked me to come see you all today in his place! You see, he’s really busy getting ready for tonight so he asked if Lio and I could come visit you and bring your presents!”</p><p>Surprisingly, the kids seemed to buy that claim, or at least they didn’t care since there was a mountain of wrapped gifts involved. The next few minutes were a flurry of calling names, passing colorfully wrapped boxes, and a barrage of ‘thank you’s’ and hugs from all of the kids. Galo keeps sneaking glances over at his partner through the proceedings and feels himself fall in love with Lio all over again. He looks so radiant; smiling and laughing, surrounded by children who clearly adore him. This was the man Galo wanted to spend the rest of his life with.  </p><p>“Now, now everyone! We talked about this! These are for <em> tomorrow morning</em>,” the loud one, Phaedra, cuts through Galo’s daydreams to remind the children. “Let’s go put these under the tree for now.”</p><p>The group erupts in a chorus of “<em>Yes, Miss Phaedra” </em> as they all grab their gifts and head into the living room where they had the tree set up next to a row of embroidered stockings. They proceed to file out of the room, all except for the youngest, Calliope, who immediately clings to Lio’s leg and motions to be picked up. The little girl had developed quite the affinity for Lio and always sought his attention whenever they popped by to visit the orphanage.</p><p>Without hesitation, Lio scoops her up for a hug, softly smiling as her tan, chubby little arms wrap their way around his neck. </p><p>Galo knows it’s not easy being raised in an orphanage - he was raised in one himself after the devastating fire that took his parents, his everything, from him. Something deep and sad pulls at his heart as remembers what this was like - how happy he would be when Kray would come to visit, with reporters and cameras in tow, not realizing Kray was using him as a photo op as he slowly manipulated his rise to power. In the end, Galo was never adopted and eventually just aged out of the system. Knowing everything he does now, he can’t help but wonder if Kray had orchestrated something behind the scenes in order to keep him close and under his shadow.</p><p>But this is different. Lio is <em> nothing </em> like Kray. There is no doubt in Galo’s mind that Lio genuinely loves and cares about the little girl in his arms, even if, at the moment, this is the best he can do for her. </p><p>“Bwoss! You came to see me! And you brought Gawwo too!” </p><p>“Of course we did, Calli. We wanted to see you all for Christmas and bring you your presents. I know you’ve been a good girl this year, right?” </p><p>Her smile lights up the room like sunshine as she enthusiastically nods her head, causing her salmon-pink colored curls to bounce around her face. “I made you a prewesent too! See?”</p><p>Calliope presents Lio with the envelope clutched in her little fist. He opens up and immediately melts over what he finds within. Inside is a marker drawing, covered in a slew of glittery stickers and what looks like a child’s rendition of the promare flames. And smack-dab in the middle is a trio of figures: one wearing black with a scribble of yellow hair, another with a shock of blue spikes wearing orange, and nestled between them is a smaller figure in a triangle dress with a mess of pink hair and a smiling face.</p><p>“It’s us!” She confirms with a point of a chubby finger. “You like?”</p><p>“Oh, sweetie, I love it! Thank you.” Lio gives her a kiss on the cheek and she lets out a giggle of delight.</p><p>Lio would <em> never </em> play favorites, but Galo can tell Calliope is clearly special to him. He seems smitten with her as he situated her on his hip and cuddles her close. Immediately Galo is struck by just how <em> good </em> Lio looks holding her like that. Like this was something he did every day. Galo knows Lio would be an amazing dad, and truthfully, he had always wanted kids himself. But short of agreeing to dating each other monogamously, they had never really talked about what their future might look like together.</p><p>That precious ring he has stashed away with his change of clothes would definitely change that, though.</p><p>Once Calliope has gotten her fill of Lio cuddles, she makes grabby hands for Galo. Galo smiles and accepts the squirming toddler as Lio passes her off.</p><p>“Throw me!” she demands and shrieks with glee when Galo carefully tosses her up into the air before catching her. “Again! Again!”</p><p>So he does. He can’t resist her dimpled cheeks or adorable charms any better than Lio could. Galo manages to sneak a glimpse over at Lio, watching them closely, with a tender expression on his face. He can’t help but wonder what exactly is going through Lio’s mind right now.</p><p>“So Calli, what did you ask Santa for this year?” Galo asks the wiggling girl. </p><p>Calliope stops her wriggling and goes quiet, shying away from Lio and Galo’s eyes. After a moment she timidly looks over at Lio and tells him, “I-I asked him for a family.”</p><p><em> Oh. </em>Looking over at Lio, Galo can practically hear his heart shatter into a thousand pieces and Galo clutches Calliope a little tighter. He had not anticipated such an innocuous question could be so loaded. Calliope was as sweet as they come and she deserves a loving family just as much as anyone else. Was she hoping Lio and Galo would be the family for her?</p><p>“Calliope...” Lio starts but Galo can hear the choked-up sound to his voice. He looks to Galo for some kind of answer or reassurance, but only sees the same pitiful heartbreak mirrored back at him. “You’re gonna have a family of your own, one day soon, but until then, all of us Burnish are family, yeah? We all are going to look after each other and stay together. Okay?”</p><p>“Okay, but are you going to stay?” She seems more or less placated with Lio’s answer. “Can you stay and read a stwory to us again? Pweeease?”</p><p>Lio looks over to Galo, who nods his head in agreement. They had plenty of time anyway. It always made the kids’ day when they hung around to play with them or read them books. So they let Calliope take one of each of their hands in her little, chubby grasp and lead them over to the next room where the rest of the kids and the two house parents were arranging the gifts around the tree.</p><p>Galo was more than happy to kill a few hours before his special dinner date with Lio, especially if it meant bringing some joy to all of these former Burnish children. It honestly helped get his mind off of how unusually nervous he was to propose. So they spent some time hanging out with the kids, reading them some books, and just generally allowing themselves to be climbed on like human jungle gyms. </p><p>By the time they had to go, Calliope had dozed off in Lio’s lap since it was close to the younger childrens’ bed time. Galo had already snuck away to change out of the Santa outfit. They had hoped to make a quiet getaway, trying to avoid the wrath of a cranky toddler, but the moment Lio tries to pass her into Phaedra’s waiting arms, she is awake again and immediately <em> devastated </em>as she realizes they were leaving without her.</p><p>“NOOO!” she shrieks, face dark red and tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want you to go! I wanna go with you!” </p><p>Galo’s heart immediately drops into his stomach. This part always hurt the most. All of the other kids were old enough to understand that they couldn’t stay, but Calliope was little and didn’t like ‘goodbyes’. Lio looks torn too, but puts on a strong face - he was the leader after all - as he promises her he would be back to visit again soon. Still she kept crying and squirming in Phaedra’s arms.</p><p>“Oh, don’t you worry about her. She’ll cry herself out in 15 minutes and then be out like a light. Happens <em> every time</em>,” Phaedra assures them both as she makes her way over to the stairs with a wailing Calliope and the other two youngest children in tow.</p><p>Galo reaches over to thread his fingers into Lio’s and gives him a reassuring squeeze. The smaller man suddenly seems a lot more sullen than he had been just a few moments ago.</p><p>Together they said their goodbyes to the rest of the children before making their way for the door. </p><p>“Wait! Boss, er, Lio, I wanted to talk to you about something. Please, it will just take a moment. Outside, though, if you don’t mind.” Thaelia rounds the corner following them out, clutching a stack of papers in her hands.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Lio asks, already concerned. “Is the city counsel not getting you those funds I requested? I had the proposal and paperwork approved and everything. I swear to god if that interim governor gives me any more crap-”</p><p>“No!” Thaelia immediately brings her hands up to assure him that this was not the case. “They’ve been sending us the funds from the settlement, in full, on time. I’m just as shocked as you are, believe me. We have everything we need at the moment. It’s just-”</p><p>She pauses for a moment to glance over at Galo. Even though Galo had proven time and time again he wanted to help the Burnish, he was still an outsider to their culture and community. “Is it okay if he sees these?” Thealia gestures to the folded stack of paper in her hands.</p><p>Lio’s brow furrows in anger and Galo gets the sense that he already knows what’s on those papers. As for Galo not being privy to them - well, it was a little late for that now.</p><p>“It’s fine. He can see them,” Lio assures her as he takes the stack of letters from her. He flips them open, and nothing could prepare Galo for the white, hot rage and disgust he feels when he sees the contents.</p><p>Threats of burning and torture laced with every Burnish slur he had ever heard line the pages written in a patchwork of magazine letter cut outs. There were photos of the kids and the women, taken from afar, with sickening words like “DIE BURNISH BITCH”, “TERRORIST” and “FORESIGHT WAS RIGHT” scrawled across them in thick, angry Sharpie.</p><p>“When did these show up?” Galo can hear the fury and frustration behind Lio’s gritted teeth.</p><p>“Just this morning. I found them jammed under the front door,” Thaelia mutters solemnly. “I’m thankful the kids didn’t find them first. I didn’t want to worry you, so Phae called the police to come take a look and file an incident report. But they didn’t find anything and basically said that they can’t do anything about the threats unless they’re <em> acted on</em>.”</p><p>“What?! That doesn’t make any sense! They can’t do anything until someone gets hurt? They’re threatening children!” Galo asserted with disgust. “These...These are <em> awful! </em>Why aren’t the police taking this seriously?”</p><p>“Galo,” Lio said sternly as he folded the papers and slipped them into his jacket, “you already know my answer to that. No matter what we do, there are always going to be people in this city who will always hate us and use us as a scapegoat for their anger. The police included.”</p><p>“Thank you for letting me know,” Lio says to Thaelia. “Don’t worry, I will figure something out.” He turns towards Galo, eyes dark and looking conflicted. “Galo, I’m sorry if this pushes back the dinner plans, but I need to-”</p><p>“<em>Lio</em>.” Galo’s hand involuntarily squeezes at the ring box tucked away and hidden in his coat pocket. He laments the very unromantic turn the day was taking, but there was no way in hell that he wasn’t going to help Lio in any way that he could. Lio was still the <em> de facto </em> leader of the Burnish, and whatever this threat was, it seemed serious. He promised he’d have Lio’s back, through spark and flame. Why would now be any different? “You don’t need to apologize, Firebug, just tell me what you need. I’m here to help.”</p><p>Galo feels his heart twinge when he sees the tiniest twitch of a smile on Lio’s lips, “Thank you, Galo. I want to go to the Burnish housing complex and discuss this with Meis and Gueira. We need to warn everyone to keep an eye out.”</p><p>“Okay, let’s go then.” Galo slips his hand into Lio’s and pulls him over towards the bike. “Bye Thaelia! Thanks for having us and happy holidays!”    </p><p>Thaelia gives them a wave as she shouts after them, “Are you guys taking your motorcycle? Just be careful. The weather says it’s supposed to snow soon!”</p><p>Galo doesn’t remember hearing anything about snow. Sure, the sky is looking a little grey, but he’s sure everything will be <em> fine</em>.</p><p>🔺🔺🔺</p><p>It’s only a 20 minute drive on the motorcycle to get over to the Burnish community housing, but the first few flurries have already started to fall.</p><p>However, it’s among the least of their problems when they pull up to see a mass of people standing outside and a smoldering remains of a wall with several police officers standing around it.</p><p>Lio is jumping off the bike in a panic before Galo can even come to a full stop, running full speed to the damage. Fortunately Meis and Gueira, standing next to a stoic Ignis, were already there and waving him down.</p><p>“What the hell happened here?” Lio is wide-eyed with panic, fearing the worst.</p><p>“No need to panic,” Meis assured him, “no one was hurt and we got it put out quickly.”</p><p>“The rest of your buddies already handled it before taking off,” Gueira adds nodding his head towards Galo.</p><p>“Looks like we have an arsonist on our hands. There’s evidence of an accelerant being used. You two did a good job keeping it under control until we could get here,” Ignis praises the two Mad Burnish generals as he fills out the official report.</p><p>“Why the hell didn’t either of you call me and tell me what was going on?”</p><p>“We knew you were visiting the kids today and didn’t want you to worry. Besides, we had it under control. We were planning on calling you as soon as we had a better idea of what was going on,” Gueira did his best to assure him.</p><p>“Well, I don’t think this was his first stop, unfortunately.” Lio’s brow furrows as he pulls the envelope full of threats out of his jacket and shows it to the group. “I think our arsonist hit up the orphanage before coming over here, assuming it’s the same guy. Or maybe it’s a group.”</p><p>Twin looks of horror and disgust flash across Meis and Gueira’s faces while Ignis only calmly adjusts his sunglasses and takes the papers from Lio.</p><p>“I’m taking these as evidence to hand over to the police,” Ignis states plainly, but that only seems to set Lio off even more.</p><p>“The police aren’t going to do anything about it! Either they don’t care or they’re not going to do anything until someone actually gets hurt. Thaelia already told us as much at the orphanage earlier. This asshole clearly wants to hurt my people and I’m not going to wait around doing nothing.” </p><p>“I shouldn’t have to remind you that you are on <em> probation</em>, Fotia. You getting involved any more than necessary is going to make more trouble for everyone. I will make sure the police are investigating this seriously. You have my word.” And with that Ignis turns around and leaves.</p><p>Lio in his anger is drawn as tight as a bowstring, tense and ready to snap at any given moment. Galo wants to comfort him, hold him, tell him it will all be okay, but he doesn’t get the chance because Lio is in boss-mode and barking orders at his generals.</p><p>“Meis! Gueira! I’m calling a meeting. I want all of Mad Burnish in the common area in the next 20 minutes.”</p><p>“YES BOSS!” And immediately all three are off in different directions leaving a very confused Galo wondering just what the fuck he should do.</p><p>Since he’s not ex-Burnish nor is there a fire that needs to be put out any more, he’s left in limbo. And he figures following Lio around like a lost puppy while he’s trying to scramble the troops isn’t going to do anyone any favors either. Instead he opts to wait outside of the common room, standing against the wall and settling in for the long haul. Inside the room he can hear the muffled voice of Lio explaining the situation and the rowdy, rallying cries of a bunch of burly bikers.</p><p>He expects that he might be shut out of this for a while. Even a year later, the ex-Burnish, especially the Mad Burnish, were still pretty wary of non-Burnish individuals, even if said individual was dating their boss. Galo wondered if he should hang around to support Lio when he was done or maybe try to scrounge up some food to ply him with in case he was hungry. Galo just wanted to do whatever he could to support Lio right now.</p><p>What he didn’t expect was for Gueira to slip out of the room quietly and make his way over to Galo before sliding his arm around Galo’s shoulder and leading him forcefully down the hallway.</p><p>“Hey, Big Guy,” Gueira leered at him with a smile on his face.</p><p>“<em>Uh oh, this can’t be good</em>,” Galo’s brain helpfully supplied. While they were by no means enemies, Gueira and Meis had yet to fully warm up to Galo, often acting like a pair of overprotective big brothers towards Lio. He figures if Gueira came to find him personally, he’s about to be told to “get lost”.</p><p>“So, normally this is the point where I’d tell you these are Burnish matters and, Boss’s boytoy or not, to fuck off-”</p><p><em> Yup. There it is. </em>Galo opens his mouth to protest but is immediately cut back off by Gueira.</p><p>“<em>However</em>, I heard about you throwing that toy drive for the kids and playing Santa for them. The boys and I thought that was real nice, so I’m gonna cut you some slack.”</p><p>“Uhh… Thank you?” Galo doesn’t know where this is going but he knows better than to let his guard down around the lanky redhead. </p><p>“So, here’s the deal. I’m gonna let you know what’s going on in that room right now. The boss is organizing a security detail of Mad Burnish members to stand guard outside the housing complex and the orphanage, so if that piece of shit shows up again, he’s gonna have another thing coming. Which brings me to my next point. You heard mustache man: Lio is on probation because he took the fall for all of the damages we caused during our time as Mad Burnish. We were lucky he was never made to serve any jail time, but that means he’s already on thin ice. Basically, we want him as far away from this as he can be. So, Meis and I decided, it is Christmas after all, and the boss deserves a night off. Lio says you were supposed to take him out to dinner tonight, so that’s exactly what you’re gonna do. Just keep him out of trouble, <em> capisce </em>?”</p><p>“Y-yup. I can do that.” Galo forces a nervous smile as he feels Gueira’s grip tighten on his shoulder.</p><p>“Good, good. So Meis and I are gonna take over the gang for the night and handle everything. It’ll be just like the good ol’ days of Mad Burnish before the Boss showed up. Actually, I think this could make a nice date night for me and Meis. I promise we will <em> try </em> not to kill anyone. So, once Lio and Meis go over the plan and the guard rotation with the boys, I’ll have him meet you outside. We all clear?”</p><p>“Yes, yes. Take Lio out to dinner, keep him out of trouble and in exchange you will lead Mad Burnish tonight and not kill anyone. Got it.” Galo really did not enjoy being held physically and emotionally hostage.</p><p>“Well, that last part all depends on you, Big Guy. You better treat the Boss right. We Burnish don’t kill without reason, so <em> don’t </em>give me a reason.”</p><p>🔺🔺🔺</p><p>Galo was very glad to escape out from under Gueira’s very strong grip and go wait out by his motorcycle. True to his word, about 20 minutes later, Lio comes out to meet him.</p><p>“I can’t believe my two generals mutinied me out of my own gang so they could relive their glory days.” </p><p>“It’s only for one night,” Galo assures him with a tight embrace, giving Lio a moment to let out a deep, stressed sigh. Galo imagines he feels helpless, like everything is out of his control at the moment. “They mean well, though. They’re your two closest friends, I’m sure you can trust them with this. They just want you to be safe.” </p><p>“I’m sorry about all of this. Think we can still make it for dinner?”</p><p>Galo checks his phone and <em> wow, time really got away from them</em>. Their reservation is in five minutes.</p><p>“Well, we can definitely try.”</p><p>🔺🔺🔺</p><p>With the restaurant being on the outer edge of the city, the prospect of making it on time was <em> not </em> looking good, especially now that the flurries had turned into full blown snowfall. Galo tries to drive as fast as he can but the snow is coming down harder and his bike is just <em> not </em> made for these road conditions. Any subsequent calls to the restaurant have been met with a line busy tone, so he knew he was out of luck on that front. By the time they park, it’s already 30 minutes past the reservation and the place is jam packed with waiting couples. </p><p>“I’m sorry, sirs, unfortunately we had to give your reservation away and we are booked full for the night.” The hostess seems genuinely sorry, but it looks like her hands were tied. </p><p>Together they try the restaurants in the surrounding area, seeing if anyone would take them last minute, but in another horrible stroke of luck, they’re either completely full or closing early for the holiday.</p><p>By this point, Galo’s disappointment about how things were turning out was practically palatable, but he tries to put on a brave face. After all, he still got to spend his day with Lio. He could still probably get a refund for the cabin getaway, and figure out another perfect time and place to propose. </p><p>But Lio looks like a man with the weight of the world dumped atop his shoulders. There were many times Galo had seen Lio become sullen and quiet, but not quite like this. Like something was eating him up from the inside. And now on top of all of that, he had to be hungry since they hadn’t eaten since breakfast with all of the crazy happening.</p><p>“Galo, I-I’m sorry, I ruined the nice evening you had planned. All you wanted to do was have a nice dinner with me and I couldn’t even give you that. I just roped you into dealing with my problems-”</p><p>“Lio, none of that was your fault! I loved going to see Calli and the kids with you. Seeing them happy and excited to be getting gifts was better than any old silly thing I had planned anyway. The only person who ruined today is that asshole causing trouble. And I guess the surprise snow storm didn’t help either…” </p><p>They’re both walking dejectedly back towards Galo’s motorcycle, slowly trudging their way through the buildup of snow. An unusually uncomfortable silence settles between them and Galo’s brain is racing to try and figure out the magic words that will cheer Lio up and make things right.</p><p>“You know, I don’t think my bike is going to get us home in this weather. Why don’t I just get us a cab? We can get a pizza on the way, have a quiet night in? Or I could run you a hot bath? Whatever you want, Firebug, just name it,” Galo offers gently, like he’s handling a baby kitten.</p><p>Lio comes to a dead halt under the warm orange glow of a streetlight. He seems to consider it for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I just… I feel like if I went home now I would just feel caged, anxious. I’d probably do nothing but pace around and constantly check my phone, which I know <em> drives you crazy</em>.”</p><p>He has a point. Galo was supposed to be the jittery one in their relationship.</p><p>“I don’t know… Maybe we could just walk around for a while? I think I just want to cool my head.” </p><p>“Yeah! Of course, we can do that. You know, I think there’s a pretty big park nearby, why don’t we go walk around there? Maybe we can look at the lights or something,” Galo offers, hoping it might help.</p><p>Lio just nods his head solemnly and allows Galo to slip their gloved hands together as he tugs him towards the park. </p><p>Even with the snow falling, he’s surprised to see so many people out and walking around, enjoying their Christmas Eve. There’s a colorful array of lights strung up through the trees and even little vendors selling treats and hot drinks around the promenade. But Lio doesn’t want to seem to want to deal with any of that, his head tucked down as he walks past all of the festivities.</p><p>Galo keeps quiet and allows himself to be led, giving Lio a reassuring hand squeeze. They walk in relative silence for a while, sticking to the stone pathway but going deeper and deeper into the park, until they eventually come to a clearing. Just through the trees is an overlook spot, providing a gorgeous view of the city. And to their luck, it seems like no one is around.</p><p>Galo spots a bench nearby so he goes over and clears enough snow for them both and plops himself down. “You know, I would have taken you to the frozen lake so you could cool your head but I don’t think we could make it up there tonight on my bike…”</p><p>Lio doesn’t say anything, just walks past the bench and opts to lean on the overlook railing, taking in the view of the city in relative silence.</p><p>Galo reaches into the pocket of his jacket and finds the ring box, still stashed away where it’s been hiding all of today. He gives it a squeeze and wishes today could have gone differently. He tries to imagine, even briefly, what Lio’s reaction would have been. Would he have been surprised? Happy enough to cry? Or maybe he would smirk and ask Galo why it took him so long to work up the nerve. He loved that about Lio - always kept Galo on his toes. </p><p>But right now, Lio was lost to him. Completely absorbed in his own world as he stares out forlornly at the city. His back is to Galo, so he figures it’s safe to pull the ring box out. He just wants to look at it again, to remind himself of the commitment he wanted to make to his beloved.</p><p>The box is black and velveteen, small and unassuming enough to fit into the palm of his hand. It spoke nothing of the burning passion he felt for Lio. But inside the box, nestled inside a satin placeholder, was a delicate ring, one he had picked out himself. He pops the box open to stare at it. A thin platinum band with an inset gem the color of Lio’s stunning eyes, surrounded by a bunch of tiny diamonds. He had spent weeks sneaking away from Lio so he could go ring shopping and he knew the moment he saw this ring that it was <em> the one</em>. Galo was so sure he had the ring engraved and then spent the next two months hiding it away, trying to keep Lio from finding out until he could wait for that one special day.</p><p>But it seemed like today wasn’t that day. He would have to tuck it away for now until he could gather up the nerve again to ask him.</p><p>In the meantime he’d do everything he could to support Lio. Make him feel better. Assure him that nothing bad was going to happen, or, if it did, that it was nothing they couldn’t handle together. They had saved the world together, after all. Come what may, they would get through it.</p><p>“You know,” Lio’s voice, deep and dark, cuts through the silence, “I still feel a little sick to my stomach every time I have to look at that <em> monstrosity</em>.” He’s staring at the wreckage of the Parnassus. The removal process was long since underway but progress was slow, so the hollowed-out corpse of the vessel still loomed large over the city, like a reminder that Kray, while gone, was still not forgotten.</p><p>Galo instantly snaps to attention, putting the ring down on the bench beside him in a panic, hoping Lio didn’t notice what he had. He gets up and gingerly approaches Lio, coming to stand at his side and rest on the railing next to him.</p><p>“I-I know. I don’t particularly like looking at it either. Brings up a lot of bad memories for me as well.” Galo’s mind floods with images of a man he used to idolize, twisted and cruel, telling Galo how unwanted he truly was. The anguished screams of thousands of tortured Burnish. And worst of all, the feeling of Lio slowly dissolving to ash in his arms as he begged him to <em> stay with me</em>. “But one day, it will be gone. You made sure of that. I watched you set up meetings and work on those proposals for months and you did it! They’re gonna tear that stupid thing down and put a park there named after Dr. Prometh! And in the center will be a memorial to all of the Burnish who lost their lives to Kray and his fucked up warp engine. <em> You did that</em>. I know it’s slow going, but things will change. It will get better.”</p><p>Galo offers him a small, reassuring smile and takes Lio’s gloved hand in his, lacing their fingers together.</p><p>Lio remains solemn next to him, eyes fixed ahead on the bright, snow-illuminated city before them. “You’re right. I can change the city, but I can’t change the people. I can’t make them forget the lies Kray fed them or the buildings we burned. The terror we caused fighting for our freedom…”</p><p>“Lio…”</p><p>“You know, I’ve always hated this city. The cold, sterile, ugly thing Kray made it into. Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, I can’t even believe I really live here now…I think a large part of the city would rather I didn’t live here either. Me and my people. They call us names, burn our homes, threaten us and our children. And I’m not just talking about today, Galo, you know this isn’t an isolated incident. I’m scared there’s always going to be people here who won’t just let us <em> live </em> until they’ve gotten their pound of flesh. Without my flames, without the Promare…I can’t protect them.”</p><p>Galo looks over and is alarmed to see fat, wet tears sliding down Lio’s pristine cheeks. He can count the number of times he’s actually seen Lio cry on one hand, so he knew this was serious. He doesn’t know what to say to any of that so he grabs Lio by the arm and pulls him in, wrapping him a tight hug and holding him to his chest. Galo rocks him gently as the sobs wrack Lio’s slender body.</p><p>Eventually, Lio goes quiet again and looks up. His eyes are wet and bleary, cheeks ruddy as he rests his chin on Galo’s chest. Galo would almost dare to call him cute if he wasn’t in the middle of an emotional breakdown. </p><p>Taking off his gloves, he brings his hands up to Lio’s cold face and thumbs away the tears before brushing his bangs out of his eyes and laying a delicate kiss on his forehead. “Babe, why didn’t you tell me? I had no idea you were holding this in. I know you must be feeling frustrated and hopeless and it’s okay to cry! But you’re one of the strongest people I know, Lio, even without the Promare. You and the Burnish deserve a safe place to be happy and live your lives just as much as anyone else.”</p><p>He holds Lio tight, like he’s scared he might turn to ash again, as the snow falls silently around them. If Lio was so unhappy here, wasn’t it selfish of Galo to want him to stay? He loves Lio, more than he’s ever loved anyone, ever. Lio always wanted freedom for the Burnish and if Lio thought they couldn’t find that here then who was Galo to make him stay? What was the old saying? <em> If you love somebody, let them go</em>. And now Galo had come to the startling conclusion that in order for Lio to find safety and happiness for his people he may very well have to up and leave and never look back. Or, Galo might have to give up his old life and go live out in a Burnish commune in the middle of a desert wasteland. And he would do it too, for Lio.</p><p>“Firebug, I want you to know that I love you so much. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But if this is how you really feel, I would never want to keep you here if you were truly unhappy. If you want to take the Burnish and leave, I won’t stop you, but just know that I will never stop loving you-”</p><p>He stops when he feels the wracking shake Lio’s body again and <em> oh no, now I’ve made him even more upset</em>, Galo thinks. He’s ready to jump off the overlook and dash himself onto the rocks below for making Lio cry when he hears his partner make a “<em>pfffft</em>” sound and Galo realizes he’s not actually crying.</p><p>“Galo! You’re an idiot!” Lio is <em> laughing </em>at him through his tears, “You’re being ridiculous. I’m not leaving you! Where did you get such a crazy idea?”</p><p>“Uh! How about all of the stuff you just said about hating the city and wanting the Burnish to be safe? I don’t think I’m being crazy thinking that that’s what you want.” Galo says as he flails his arms wildly.</p><p>“Sure, both of those things are true, but that doesn’t mean I was ever thinking of leaving!” Lio grabs him by the lapels of his woolen coat and pulls him close. “I love you, Galo. It doesn’t matter where I am as long as you’re with me because <em> you’re my home. </em> Not this stupid city. <em> You. </em> So as long as you’re here, I refuse to leave Promepolis. I’m going to out-stubborn all of the anti-Burnish assholes in this city. I will do it out of spite if I have to.”</p><p>Lio’s eyes were full of fire and now it was Galo’s turn to laugh because <em> this </em> was the man he fell in love with. Stubborn and beautiful and ready to fight to protect what he loves. So he leans down, cupping Lio’s face in his hands, and kisses him like it’s the very first time.</p><p>His lips are cold and the tip of his nose feels like an icicle against his skin but Galo feels nothing but warmth from the way Lio kisses him back. When Lio gently pulls away, Galo swears he can see the stars in his violet eyes. </p><p>“Today started out so nice. I loved going to see the kids with you and playing with Calli. And then just went wrong so quickly. I had wanted to talk to you about something important today, too, and now I just don’t even want to think about it, honestly.”</p><p>“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. How about instead I take you home?” Galo, ever the gentleman, offers Lio his arm to take, “I’m sure I can find some creative ways to get us both warmed up when we get back.” He punctuates this statement with a roguish wink.</p><p>“I would love that, but-” as if on cue Lio’s stomach lets out a loud growl, “since we missed your dinner date and we haven’t eaten all day… I’m pretty hungry…”</p><p>Galo’s stomach lets out its own noise in response. “Yeah, that’s a good point. How about we find something to eat first?”</p><p>🔺🔺🔺</p><p>Together they head back to the entrance of the park, but this time, they take their time to stop and enjoy the pretty Christmas light displays around them. Galo is relieved that Lio seems to be in a somewhat better mood at least. </p><p>Some of the food carts are still open so they opt to get a quick bite. Mostly just something warm to fill their stomachs. They wait in line to order with Lio huddled against his chest trying to absorb Galo’s warmth through sheer willpower and proximity.</p><p>“I hope Meis and Gueira aren’t getting into too much trouble,” Lio mutters as he attempts to massage some warmth back into his hands. “The only way I can see our Christmas Eve getting worse is if we have to spend actual Christmas bailing them out of jail.”</p><p>“They can handle themselves. I’m sure they’re reliving their glory days of leading Mad Burnish, riding their bikes and causing all sorts of hell. They’ll probably do a good job of scaring off that crazy bastard.”</p><p>“You see, that’s the exact thing I’m worried-,” Lio gets cut off by a loud buzzing from his pocket and pulls out his phone. “Speak of the devils, Meis is calling. Can you grab the food while I take this?”</p><p>Galo nods and Lio wanders a bit away to find a quiet place to sit and take the call. It takes a few minutes still but Galo manages to get a bag of warm, pillowy knishes and two cups of piping hot chocolate. He brings his haul over to where Lio is perched sitting on a wall and is pleasantly surprised to see Lio is <em> smiling</em>.</p><p>“-sounds good. Thanks for calling to tell me. Let’s keep the security detail going at the orphanage and housing for tonight, just in case. Tell Gueira I said thank you and you both have a good night. Talk to you tomorrow.”</p><p>“Everything all right?” Galo asks as he passes Lio his drink. “Do we need to scrounge together some bail money? Payday isn’t until next week so we might need to dig between the couch cushions...”</p><p>“No, thankfully. Turns out Meis and Gueira actually tracked down the terrorist and caught him before he could burn down our community center. Shocker, he was one of Foresight’s loyal bootlickers looking for revenge.” Lio spits out Kray’s name with revulsion.</p><p>“Anyway, Meis says he’s in custody now, so at least he can’t hurt anyone from there. He was working alone. Ignis is over at the police station now turning over the evidence from the arson to help build a case against him. So at least I think we can rest a little easier tonight.”</p><p>“That’s great!” Galo is grinning ear to ear. “I figured if eating didn’t cheer you up, I was going to suggest we go have a stake-out to try and catch the guy. Sure, it’s not the sexiest, or warmest, idea I’ve ever had for a date night but I thought it would make you feel a little better.”</p><p>“That’s sweet of you to offer, but I’m glad it didn’t come to that.” Lio gives him a cheeky smile as he fishes a warm knish out of the bag for himself. “Though, Meis did say it was the best date night they’ve had in years… which probably means something got set on fire or vandalized...”</p><p>The two sit side-by-side on the wall together, eating their food in a comfortable silence. Lio is cuddled up against Galo, resting his head on his broad shoulder while Galo contemplates the delightful irony of enjoying a very Jewish food for their Christmas Eve dinner. </p><p>Lio lets out a satisfied sigh when he’s finished and leans over to give Galo a kiss on the cheek.</p><p>“Wazzat fer?” Galo asks around a bite of pastry before swallowing, “You feeling better with some food in you at least?”</p><p>“I wanted to apologize. I, uh, realized now that the ‘hangry’ feeling has passed that what I said earlier, about my frustrations with the city and the people here who still hate us… I didn’t mean to make it sound like I wanted to leave. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I’m sorry for letting my frustrations get the better of me. But, also, thank you, for standing by my side through it all.”</p><p>Galo hops down from his seat on the wall and turns to face Lio, slotting himself between his spread legs. Lio looks ethereal like this, sitting under the colorful lights and a glittery dusting of snow flecked on his long, pale eyelashes. </p><p>“I appreciate you acknowledging my feelings, Firebug, and I’m glad you didn’t spontaneously decide to go live in a wasteland again, but even if you did, I would follow you. You can’t run away from the great Galo Thymos that easily! And even if today didn’t go as planned, I’m just happy I got to spend the entire day with you.”</p><p>When they’re eye to eye like this, Galo can really see how stunning Lio looks when his eyes soften because he’s smiling. Galo’s heart speeds up and he’s filled with the urge to kiss the other man silly because <em> how dare </em> he look so good half soaked through with meltwater and wearing a silly pompom hat. </p><p>
  
</p><p>“What did I ever do to end up with such a genuine, incredible man like you, Galo Thymos?”</p><p>“Well, first you set a building on fire and then we had a really cool fight on top of said building and then-”</p><p>Galo doesn’t get very far into his retelling of their epic love story before Lio pulls him in by his scarf, closing those scant few inches between them for a bruising kiss. Lio’s tongue is warm against his and he tastes rich and warm like the hot chocolate they just drank. He’s positive there must be people staring at them while they make out like a pair of horny teenagers, but he’s dumb and in love and could care less about what everyone else might think.</p><p>When Lio eventually pulls back for air, he rests his forehead against Galo’s and mutters softly, “I love you Galo. You and your ridiculous burning soul have kept the fire blazing in me even after the Promare left. You have no idea how much that means to me.”</p><p>“No, but I know what it feels like to combine our souls in a giant robot and set the whole world on fire, which was pretty cool. And I know how proud I am to stand by your side and support you when you’re helping your people or working to fix the mess Kray made of everything. And I know how happy it makes me to get to wake up next to you every morning and kiss you before we go to bed at night. It’s the best. You make me the happiest man in the world. I-I think you’re my other half, Lio...I want to be with you, forever…”</p><p>As soon as that last part leaves his mouth, Galo realizes, <em> oh….oh….OH!!! This is it!!! </em></p><p>He drops down onto one knee immediately, startling Lio and attracting the attention of the onlookers around them.</p><p>“Lio Fotia! Will you do me the honor of ma-”</p><p>Galo reaches into his coat pocket, ready to present the engagement ring, and wraps his fingers around....<em>nothing</em>.</p><p>…</p><p>…</p><p>…</p><p>“<b>OH FUCK</b>.”</p><p>He frantically pats all of his pockets down and <em> Nope. Just air. </em></p><p>“‘<em>Oh fuck</em>’? Galo, what is going on?” Lio looks incredibly confused and there’s a small crowd of curious spectators starting to linger nearby.</p><p>“<em>Oh shit</em>,” Galo thinks in a panic-stricken frenzy. He must look crazy right now. “<em>The bench! I must have left it on the bench!</em>”</p><p>“Oh-uh, nothing! Don’t worry, Lio. I-uh… Just wait here! I’ll be right back!” And Galo turns on his heel and starts booking it back towards the overlook, hoping, <em> praying, </em> that the ring is still there. Fuck! He felt like such an idiot! He had such a perfect shot and he ruined it.</p><p>“GALO THYMOS! YOU GET BACK HERE! WHAT THE FUCK HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!” He hears the heavy thunk of boots in the snow behind him and he knows that Lio <em> did not </em> stay put and was now hot on his heels. </p><p>He runs as hard and fast as he can, considering the 8 inches of snow on the ground, and practically skids to a stop as he finds their spot at the overlook. He feels his heart drop out of his chest when he doesn’t spot the little black box, but as he gets closer, he realizes, to his relief, it’s right there where he left it. Just hidden by a few inches of freshly fallen snow. And just to be doubly sure, he pops the lid open, and <em> yup</em>, there’s the ring, tucked safely inside, just as it was when he last looked at it.</p><p>“GALO! What the fuck is going on with you?” Lio comes into view and finds Galo standing there, panting and out of breath, and holding the little black box. “Is that...?”</p><p>Galo quickly realizes he has no choice but to go for broke.</p><p>He throws himself down on one knee in front of an equally out-of-breath Lio and presents the ring box to him. “Lio! You’re the other half of my burning soul and I want to spend the rest of my life with you! Will you marry me?”</p><p>Lio stands there before him in genuine stunned silence, his eyes slowly switching between staring at the ring and Galo’s panting and flustered face.</p><p>“...Did… Did you leave the ring here?” Lio asks hesitantly, instead of delivering the enthusiastic YES! Galo was hoping for.</p><p>“...Nooooo… Okay, maybe sorta, yeah. But to be fair, I was distracted by how pretty you looked in the snow…?” Galo is wearing an unusual-for-him shade of embarrassed and flustered. “Look, was that not enough? Because if it wasn’t I have this whole Powerpoint presentation I made of the two of us and-”</p><p>“No, no. Save that for another time.” Lio laughs, and it’s a beautiful noise to Galo’s ears, as he looks down at the ring and smiles. “Of course I’ll marry you, Galo. When have I ever said no to you?”</p><p>“Really?!” Galo practically tackles Lio in an embrace and knocks them both into the snow like an excited puppy. </p><p>“Galo! Be careful!” Lio can barely get the words out between his peals of laughter and the kisses Galo keeps peppering all over his face. “You already lost the ring once today!”</p><p>“Haha, oh, uh, right.” He smiles sheepishly and helps Lio sit back up. Galo gingerly slides the glove off of Lio’s left hand and pulls the ring from the box, showing it to Lio.</p><p>“Oh… You got it engraved?...<em> Lio de Galon⬥Galo de Lion…? </em>Oh Galo, it’s perfect.” His eyes seem a little misty as he allows Galo to slide the ring onto his finger. “...Was this why you wanted to take me out to dinner tonight?”</p><p>“Yeah, that was part of it,” Galo admits as he helps Lio onto his feet and brushes him off, “I wanted to take you up to the frozen lake afterwards and propose to you there, but uh, well, you know the rest.”</p><p>“Well, I guess angrily chasing you for half a mile in the snow because you lost the ring will make for a fun story when people ask about it,” Lio muses as he brushes the remaining snow off of Galo’s shoulders. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of being wet and cold for one evening. I want you to take me home and warm me up so I can <em> properly </em> show you how excited I am to be your fiancé.”</p><p>“Oh… <em> OH!</em>” Galo says excitedly, immediately catching Lio’s drift. “I-I can definitely do that. How about I get us that cab now?” </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Love My Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Galo and Lio return home to celebrate their engagement.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AD;KJADSJ I'M FINALLY POSTING THIS I'M SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS IS I GOT HIT WITH WORK AND HOLIDAY BURNOUT AND JUST HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET MY BRAIN TOGETHER. ANYWAY HERE'S THE HORNY PART OF THE STORY.<br/>And SUPER BIG THANK YOU TO Octostardraws' for letting me retroactively adopt the art she did that inspired me to write this to use in my fic.<br/>Please go follow her @octostardraws on twitter!<br/>If you don't want any of the horny but want to read the cute part, just skip down to where the 3 red triangles are and read from there - that part is sfw.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s a Christmas miracle that Galo manages to hail a cab as quickly as he does. Together they squeeze into the back seat of the yellow taxi. Lio seems relieved to finally be in a heated space, but Galo can’t help but think about how cute he looks with his flushed, rosy cheeks. He scoots over to be closer to Galo, letting his head loll lazily against his broad shoulder.</p><p>Unfortunately, a quick ride home doesn’t seem to be in the stars tonight. The roads are clogged both from the unexpected snowfall and the Christmas traffic. Heavy congestion in both directions. A prime example of why Galo prefers to have his bike to get around the usually heavy Promepolis traffic.</p><p>Even their driver doesn’t seem to be in a rush to drop his passengers off. He doesn’t seem too concerned with changing lanes or finding a faster route, and instead is more preoccupied with talking on the phone and letting the meter run. The usual twenty minute drive to their apartment from this side of town is now looking like it’s going to be closer to an hour. </p><p>That only makes Galo more frustrated. All he wanted to do was go home, throw his fiancé into bed and tumble in after him. All in all, this slight is pretty low on the “bad shit that happened today” scale, but still, Galo can’t help but feel just a little disappointed. </p><p>But Lio doesn’t seem to mind their predicament. He appears perfectly content with cuddling up to Galo’s side, letting his warm breath puff against the inside of his neck and resting his hand on the inside of Galo’s knee. When he’s this close, Galo can smell his rose-scented cologne, and it triggers something base and hungry that churns in his gut. His other leg bounces from nervous, excited energy as he tries to focus on the crowded city outside.</p><p>“<em>Gaaaaloooo</em>,” Lio’s voice is a deep, dark whisper against the shell of his ear. Soft lips brush against the cut of his jaw and Galo lets out a shaky sigh.</p><p>“Y-yeah?” </p><p>“You know, it’s pretty dark in here.” Lio starts pressing sweet little kisses against the column of his throat and Galo is sure his heart might leap out of his chest. “And the driver has headphones in. I doubt he can hear us.”</p><p>Lio pauses to suck a mark into Galo’s neck and soothes it with his hot little tongue. It’s a very compelling argument, Galo thinks.</p><p><em> Well</em>, Galo reasons, if he was going to make the back of this dirty cab any dirtier, he might as well do it properly. With a swift tug, he pulls the silly pompom hat off of Lio’s head so he can tangle his fingers into the mess of fluffy hat-hair underneath. Gently, he guides their lips together for a soft kiss as Lio gives him a hum of approval. </p><p>It doesn’t stay chaste for long. Soon, Lio is sweeping his tongue over the seam of Galo’s lips and slipping it between them. Galo doesn’t think he could ever get enough of how good Lio’s kisses are. They are fiery and passionate, just like Lio is, and the best part is, they are all just for Galo. </p><p>Galo gives as good as he gets, but Lio seems intent on one-upping him tonight. The hand Lio has on Galo’s knee has been slowly sliding its way up to the inside of his thigh, squeezing and teasing as it edges along the outside of his pants. Just as Galo pulls away for air, Lio decides to go in for the kill, taking his palm and brushing it up against the bulge of his crotch. Galo can’t help the very unmanly squeak that comes out of him, his dick jumping in his pants at the sudden attention.  </p><p>“<em> Shhh!</em>” Lio reminds him with a devilish smile, knowing full well what he’s doing to Galo. His hand comes up to Galo’s shoulder and pushes him backwards, until he’s got his back to the car door and he’s half laying on the bench seat. It’s not the comfiest position to be in, with the hard plastic digging into his spine, but he can’t find it in himself to complain with Lio positioned between his spread legs, looming over him like he wants to eat Galo alive. And Galo thinks he might just let him.</p><p>A quick glance through the plexiglass partition confirms that the taxi driver either didn’t notice or didn’t care what his passengers were up to in the back seat. Galo hates to admit it, but having a stranger nearby while they’re fooling around is only turning him on more. It’s a fact Lio seems to be keenly aware of as he brings his knee up to grind against the growing bulge in Galo’s pants. </p><p>“I don’t know, ah, what’s gotten into you, Firebug, but I kinda like it.” Galo’s hands are all over Lio now, trying to worm their way under the layers of coat and fabric to touch the warm, soft skin underneath.</p><p>“Galo!” Lio hisses as quietly as he can. “Your hands are like fucking ice!”</p><p>“Oops,” he snickers, not sorry at all, “Lemme warm them up on you then.” </p><p>Lio huffs and works at the zipper of Galo’s coat, pulling it apart and rucking up his shirt to run his hands over the chiseled expanse of muscle underneath. He lets them slide up further, until they’re cupping the mounds of his pecs, letting his fingers graze over the peaks of his nipples. Lio licks his lips. “I can’t remember the last time you managed to keep a shirt on for this long.”</p><p>“Well, it was a <em> special occasion</em>, after all.” He gives Lio’s waist an appreciative squeeze as he feels Lio drag the cool, metal band of his engagement ring across a hardened nipple. “It’s not everyday I ask you to marry me, so I kept my shirt on to prove to you how <em> committed </em> I was, clearly.”</p><p>Lio cracks a smile at that. “Hmm, I’ve never known you to have anything resembling self-control, Galo. But that’s also what I love about you. For the record though, while I appreciate your <em> herculean </em>efforts, I usually prefer you without the shirt… but maybe let’s wait until we get home until you lose this one too.”</p><p>“Yessir!” </p><p>Lio leans in to kiss him again before coming to a sudden halt. “Is laying like this even comfortable for you?”</p><p>“Nope! Not in the slightest!” The door is stabbing into the back of his neck something fierce, but it’s hard to care when there’s a beautiful man on top of him distracting him with kisses.</p><p>“You’re ridiculous, Galo. C’mon, sit up.” Lio pulls at him until he’s sitting back upright in the seat. The moment he’s seated normally again, Lio climbs over him and plops himself right into his lap, straddling Galo like he’s his personal throne. “Is this better?”</p><p>Galo nods his head and tries to swallow but finds that his mouth has gone dry. Usually, when it comes to sex, Galo takes the lead, mostly due to his size and strength, so on the occasions when Lio decides he wants control, Galo finds it turns him on something fierce. </p><p>Lio wastes no time getting back into it. He’s all over Galo again; biting, kissing, and pulling at his hair. Galo groans against his lips. Lio pulls his head back by a fistfull of his blue mohawk and finds a sweet spot on his neck to nip at. Galo’s hands slip from Lio’s waist and grab two handfuls of his ass and pull him in, grinding against him to find some relief. He’s been half-hard in his pants since Lio pushed him down, and having him bouncing on his lap was only making the problem more apparent.</p><p>“Mhmm, that impatient streak of yours is showing Galo.” Lio is smiling against the juncture of his neck as he tweaks at one of Galo’s nipples. Galo’s brain feels like hot mush. He’s so fired up that he’s ready to let Lio do whatever the hell he wants to him so long as he keeps touching him like this.</p><p>“You love it.”</p><p>“I do.” Lio’s lip’s are up by his ear again as he huskily whispers to him. “So, what do you want me to do about it?”</p><p>Galo’s Adam's apple bobs as he swallows audibly. There are <em> lots </em> of things he wants Lio to do to him. Most of which would probably get them arrested for public indecency if they were caught. Still, the thought was very tempting. </p><p>“Touch me,” Galo surrenders. His last remaining brain cell can’t be bothered to care about the not-so-private situation anymore. Lio said before that he could never say no to Galo and Galo is pretty sure he’s in the exact same boat. “L-love it when you, ah, bite m-my neck and grab my pecs.”</p><p>As if on command, Lio’s teeth sink into the juncture of his neck and Galo has to do his best to stifle a loud groan. Lio’s hands are still up under his shirt and squeezing at his chest as Galo’s head falls back against the headrest. Lio’s body feels like a firebrand against his, all the hot, electric heat of a live wire.</p><p>Galo is positive his heart stops when Lio’s hands leave his chest and trail down between them to undo the button of the fly on Galo’s pants. Lio’s fingers brush against the soft hair of his happy trail before dipping down to play with the waistband of his underwear.</p><p>“Want me to touch you here?” Lio asks devilishly in the faintest of whispers against the shell of his ear. Galo’s breath catches in his throat. God, yes, he wants to be touched there. Lithe fingers trace over the swollen length tenting his underpants. Lio is such a tease when he wants to be. “Mhmm, it seems like you do. You’ve gotten so hard just from a few kisses.”  </p><p>“Can you blame a guy? My beautiful <em> fiancé </em> is taking advantage of me in the backseat of a cab. Can’t help that you get me all fired up.”  </p><p>“Mmm, I think I like being called ‘your fiancé<em>’.</em>” Lio’s hand finally slips into Galo’s underpants and he wraps his fingers around the swollen, dripping length within. Galo has to bite down on his lip to stifle the moan that threatens to spill out. Lio doesn’t waste any time, stroking him fast and hard, with a little twist at the head, just how Galo likes it. </p><p>“You’re being such a good boy for me, Galo. Seeing you come apart like this is turning me on.” Lio’s voice is like hot silk in his ear. “God, you look so good like this. You’re absolutely dripping all over my hand. Are you getting close? What if I got on my knees and sucked you off right here?”  </p><p>“<em> NGNHH </em> ! Fuck, <em> Lio!” </em>Galo barely manages to keep himself from making a mess in his underpants, “Are you trying to kill me?”</p><p>“No, not before I’ve had my way with you at least,” Lio says with a dangerous smirk, “Now let me finish what I-”</p><p>“Hey! Break it up you two. We’re here. That’s going to be $42.85. Cash or credit?”</p><p>They both freeze before springing apart to opposite sides of the back seat like a pair of startled cats. Red-faced and breathless, Galo looks around and realizes that they’re parked outside their apartment building. </p><p>The cab driver has finally turned around to look at his passengers. In true apathetic taxi driver fashion, he doesn’t seem to care that they had just been in a <em> very </em> compromising position. He seems more annoyed that he hasn’t gotten paid yet and they were still in his cab at all.</p><p>“O-oh, right!” Galo fishes out his wallet as quickly as he can and shoves the money through the partition, plus some extra for tip and whatever ‘clean up’ he may need. Then he avoids all eye contact with the driver while he and Lio grab the rest of their stuff.</p><p>The two practically tumble headfirst out of the cab, faces pink with embarrassment and laughing like a pair of drunken maniacs. It’s still bitter cold outside and it seems the building management hasn’t done much in the way of shoveling, so the pair do their best to make a run for it, hand in hand, clumsily bounding through the snow. Galo runs with an awkward gait, holding his folded coat over his lower half so that no unfortunate neighbors catch sight of his unbuttoned pants and obvious erection.</p><p>They manage to make it inside and up to the 3rd floor with only a few raised eyebrows from some of their downstairs neighbors milling about in the lobby, which Galo considers a success. Even better, unlike the ring, his keys hadn’t pulled a disappearing act and he managed to get the door open. Lio roughly drags him inside. </p><p>Galo can barely kick his boots off by the door before Lio is on him, kissing him deeply and grabbing, pulling at any article of clothing he can get his hands on. It doesn’t even take a second for Galo to be on the same page as him, shucking off Lio’s jacket and tossing it to the floor. It’s hard to navigate their apartment when they’re attached at the lips like this, but somehow they manage to stumble into the bedroom. They break the kiss only to pull Galo’s shirt over his head, Lio’s following immediately after, and both tossed carelessly on the bedroom floor.</p><p>Lio steers Galo over to the foot of the bed, taking a moment to whisper against his lips, “Ready?”</p><p>At Galo’s enthusiastic nod, Lio plants both hands firmly on Galo’s broad chest and pushes him back onto the bed, before slinking up after him. Galo gathers up his petite fiancé in his arms and pulls him on top, cradling him against his chest as he guides their lips together once again. Lio fits perfectly against him like this, chest to chest, their legs in a tangle. Two halves of the same whole. </p><p>
  
</p><p>Their lips are still connected by a thin strand of saliva when Lio pulls away to catch his breath, but Galo can’t seem to get enough as he sinks his teeth into the juncture of Lio’s neck. The cry of pleasure Lio lets out is music to his ears and he’s rewarded with Lio grinding down against him and etching a fresh set of cat scratches down his back.</p><p>“So, Firebug,” Galo murmurs as he nips at one of Lio’s earlobes, “what did you have in mind to celebrate tonight? Want to finish what you started back in the cab? I was so fucking hot for you on top of me, touching me like that. You always know how to get me really fired up. You could pin me down and fuck me into the mattress or maybe you want to ride me? I’d be down for that, but I’m down for anything you want to do.”</p><p>Lio softens for a moment as he considers just what he wants. He cradles Galo’s head in his arms, ghosting the tips of his fingers down the side of his cheek and quietly asks, “Would you mind letting me be a bit selfish tonight?”</p><p>He asks like he doesn’t know that Galo is ready to pull down the moon and give him the stars if that’s what he really wanted. Galo takes Lio’s hand and kisses his palm softly. “Tell me what you need, babe.”</p><p>“I-I want to give you full control tonight, Galo. I know I can trust you with my pleasure. You always take care of me and make me feel safe when we do this together and I think that’s what I want tonight. It’s been an absolute shitshow of a day and right now, all I want to think about is you and how good you make me feel. Is that okay?”</p><p>Galo lights up brighter than the Christmas tree currently in their living room. “You want me to be like a service top tonight? Oh fuck yeah, Firebug, I am going to make you feel <em> so good</em>. Leave it to me!” Of course Galo was going to treat it like it’s a challenge.</p><p>Lio smiles as Galo kisses the tip of his nose and pushes him back down onto the bed. “I guess if that’s what you want to call it, sure. But I want you to enjoy it too.”</p><p>“Of course! How could I <em> not </em> feel good when I’m making you feel good, Lio? I love you. And I’m so happy you trust me with this. Just tell me what you need. And if something doesn’t feel right or you change your mind, just say something. Okay?”</p><p>Lio nods his head and takes a deep breath as he lays prone beneath Galo. “I love you too.” </p><p>Galo starts slowly, letting his hands trace up the divots of Lio’s ribs, stopping to thumb at the rosy little buds on his chest as Lio lets out a soft, little sigh. He kisses his way down Lio’s sternum, stopping to dip his tongue into the divot of his belly button and nose at the soft, fluffy trail of hair that follows just beneath it. When Galo finally makes it to the waistband of Lio’s pants, he wastes no time in undoing all of the fancy zippers and clasps, pulling everything down in one swift motion. Galo sits back on his heels and pauses to admire the beautiful man lying stretched out in his bed, warm and radiant beneath his touch. In the year that they’ve known each other, Galo has seen Lio wearing many different outfits - from ones as sexy and sleek as his all- leather Mad Burnish get-up, down to one as simple as an old t-shirt of Galo’s and a pair of tube socks. But none of those compare to Lio, flushed and half-hard on the bed sheets, wearing nothing but his engagement ring. Galo is pretty sure this might be his favorite outfit yet.</p><p>“Mhm, ditch the pants and come back to warm me up,” Lio demands with a wicked crook of his finger. Galo, for once, does exactly as he’s instructed, and dives back next to Lio, scooping him up into his arms and smothering him in kisses.</p><p>“So, Firebug, what do you want first? I could suck your dick or eat you out-”</p><p>“Not necessary.” Lio licks his lips as he reaches down between their legs and pumps Galo’s dick with a few quick strokes. “Just get me ready to take this <em> bad boy</em>. That’s what I want right now.”</p><p>“A-ahh. Yeah, sure, okay. I… I can definitely do that.” Galo is finding it incredibly difficult not to just close his eyes and thrust into the soft grip of Lio’s hands. <em> He </em> was supposed to be in charge right now, but his little minx knew exactly how to press all of his buttons. Galo would have to fix that. “Okay, flip over and get on your knees then.”</p><p>And Lio does so without fuss, getting onto all fours, presenting himself for Galo to enjoy. Galo licks his lips at the sight, bending down to run his tongue over Lio’s sac and his entrance. Lio shivers and mewls beneath him, so Galo does it again and again until the smaller man is crying out his name.</p><p>“<em> Galooo</em>, get on with it,” Lio, between panting breaths, reminds him.</p><p>“Right, right. Lemme see…” Galo rifles through the bedside drawer and pulls out a well-used bottle of water-based lubricant. “Here we go.”</p><p>Lio shakes his head. “No, I want you to use the silicone one, okay?”</p><p>Oh, Galo loved getting to use that one. And Lio asking for it was basically shorthand for: no toys, no condoms, just skin on skin. It was, however, a bitch to get out of the bedsheets.</p><p>“Okay, babe, whatever you want, let's just lay down a towel first.” So Galo grabs a clean one and places it under Lio. “You good?”</p><p>He can’t see Lio’s face from this angle but he hears a noise of approval so he pops and cap on the bottle, drizzling it over his fingers and the pucker of Lio’s tight little hole. The first finger breaches him almost effortlessly, sinking in to the knuckle as Lio lets out a groan of Galo’s name and pushes back against his hand. Galo pumps it in and out a few times before adding a second. Again, Lio’s entrance greedily accepts it, though with a bit more resistance. By the time Galo manages the third, Lio is already shaking and moaning Galo’s name. Lio’s neglected cock is leaking between his legs so Galo pumps him through while thrusting his fingers in and out.</p><p>“A-Ahhn, fuck, Galo! M-More! I’m ready… Want you inside of me,” Lio cries out as he rocks back against Galo’s fingers. </p><p>“Yeah, you ready for me?” Galo teases and angles his fingers down to where he knows Lio’s prostate is. The rapturous moan he gets in return shoots a bolt of pleasure straight to his dick. Galo pulls his fingers out and pours some more lube onto his member before hastily wiping his hand on the towel. </p><p>He lines himself up and grips Lio by the hips, taking a moment to rub his length between the soft, plump curves of his asscheeks. After a year of steady meals, Galo had been delighted to see how nicely Lio’s backside filled out. He couldn’t resist grabbing two handfuls and giving them a squeeze. </p><p>Eventually the head of his cock catches on Lio’s rim. It doesn’t take much push before the tight ring of muscle yields and lets him slip inside. Galo groans. Lio is hot and tight and fits perfectly around the head of his dick. He sinks in a little further and Lio lets out a small noise.</p><p>Instead of pushing in more, Galo feels like stirring Lio up just a bit. How could he resist driving his lover crazy? Galo knows he promised to service Lio tonight, but he never promised not to tease. He looks down to where they’re connected and pulls back a bit, watching the head of his cock pull at Lio’s rim before giving a shallow thrust back in. He does that a few more times, enjoying the sight of that tight pucker squeezing and twitching around the girth of his dick.</p><p>“C’mon, Galo! Y-you said you would fuck me!” Lio is trying to sound annoyed but the shaky lilt of his voice betrays him. “G-Give me more!”</p><p>“Shush. I’m gonna make you see stars, Firebug, but first I’m going to get you back for all that teasing you did to me in the cab.” The smirk is evident in Galo’s voice as he grips Lio’s hips and drags him just a little more down his length. Admittedly, all he wants to do is thrust himself deep into that perfect, tight, wet heat, but Galo holds himself back. It’s so much more fun to absolutely wreck Lio after Galo’s riled him up a bit.</p><p>But Lio isn’t going to take that for an answer;  he thrust his hips backwards trying to get Galo to move, only for Galo to hold him firmly in place. “Why are you trying to drive me crazy?”  </p><p>“Because driving you crazy is my speciality,” Galo helpfully reminds him as he pulls all the way out again before thrusting back in. Lio chokes out a noise, clenching around him. The firefighter does this for a few minutes, teasing his love until the smaller man is a shivery, shaky mess. Only when Galo’s name is a broken, stuttered mantra on Lio’s lips does he decide it’s time to get serious.</p><p>“Ready babe?” That’s all the warning Galo gives before roughly snapping his hips forwards in a wild thrust, so hard the bed frame collides against the wall with a harsh <em> thump</em>. He knows their neighbors must hate them but it’s hard to care when there’s a beautiful man in his bed begging for <em> more, more, more! </em></p><p>He’s quick to work up a relentless pace, pulling out as far as he can go before slamming back in again. Lio usually likes it a little rough - he loves the feeling of being able to be picked up and tossed around but knowing that Galo would <em> never </em> intentionally hurt him. They had worked on slowly building up that trust and intimacy over the course of their blossoming relationship. Even now, Galo can tell Lio feels safe when he’s bleary-eyed and drooling, half-moaning, half-shouting Galo’s name as he gets fucked into the mattress.</p><p>“God, Firebug, you’re so hot. Mhmm… so perfect for me.” Galo’s eyes are screwed shut as he bottoms out fully inside Lio. He’s desperately trying to calm himself, trying not to cum, but it feels impossible with how wet and tight Lio feels around him. </p><p>“Please G-Galo, ‘mm so close.” Lio mewls into a pillow. “Just a little more…”</p><p>“Yeah, whatever you need, Lio,” Galo says as positions himself over Lio and reaches under him to wrap his hand around Lio’s dripping cock. Galo starts pumping him quickly. Lio’s back arches back against his chest in pleasure. Slowly he starts plunging back in again, rapidly picking up the pace to match the motion of his hand. Soon the only sounds in the room are Lio’s wailing cries of pleasure and the wet slap of skin on glorious skin.</p><p>After one particular rough thrust, Lio’s quivering legs finally give out and he collapses forward onto the bed, making a punched-out noise as Galo clumsily falls on top of him, pressing him harder into the mattress.</p><p>“Oh shit, fuck, sorry Lio!” Galo scrambles to get up but is stopped by a hand that shoots out to grab his wrist to hold him there.</p><p>“N-no, stay on top of me. Y-You’re warm. And I like how big you are. It makes me feel safe,” Lio mutters, a bit embarrassed, into his pillow.</p><p>“I’m not crushing you like this?”</p><p>He shakes his head. “A little, but I kind of like it. It feels like you're extra deep in me too.”</p><p>“Yeah, it does.” Galo lays a kiss on the back of Lio’s shoulder “Do you need a minute or should I keep going?”</p><p>“K-keep going.” </p><p>He starts up again, one hand gripping Lio’s hip, the other reaching up to entwine their fingers together. Lio squeezes him back, writhing underneath him as Galo presses him harder into the mattress. He loves feeling so close, so connected like this. It’s probably the closest feeling to combining their souls again, but maybe that’s the dumb and in love part of his brain talking.</p><p>“K-kiss me,” Lio demands as he cranes his neck to the side. Galo gladly obliges him, capturing his lips and swallowing down each shaky moan and whimper of his name. Lio is so warm and pliable as putty in his hands. He puts up no resistance as Galo snakes his arm underneath to finish him off.</p><p>“Ahh, yes! That’s it. J-just like that. ‘M gonna cum.”</p><p>“Yeah? Me too.” Galo is hammering at his prostate now as he jerks Lio off in time, desperate to make him tumble over the edge first. He feels Lio’s orgasm before he hears it, clenching so tightly around him as Lio warbles praise and ‘I love you’s into the bedsheets. And then Galo is crashing too, barely a moment later, coming with a cry as he spills in hot, deep spurs into his lover.</p><p>Galo pulls out as gently as he can and rolls them both over as they catch their breath. They’re both sticky, sweaty, panting messes, but neither man would have it any other way. </p><p>“You were right. I think I did see stars there for a moment.” </p><p>“See? The Great Galo Thymos never goes back on his promises!” Galo said a bit too loudly for whatever hour of the night it was. “Now how about we go clean up?”</p><p>“Hmmm… nope” Lio says with a mischievous smirk before he pushes Galo down and climbs on top of him, “I’m not done with you yet.”</p><p>🔺 🔺 🔺 </p><p>By the time they both are sated, the night has crept into the early hours of the morning. Galo is lying awake on his side with Lio nestled up behind him as the big spoon. Lio’s arms are wrapped around him, his hands cupping his boobs. Galo finds it funny how much Lio really likes to play with his tits, but judging by the half-heartedness of the squeezing and what he was pretty sure was a spot of drool on his back, he suspects Lio was probably half-asleep.</p><p>Galo, on the other hand, is still very much awake. After the crazy day they had and all of the sex, he should have been out like a light. Maybe he was still riding high after all of the excitement. He plays with the ring on Lio’s finger as he smiles to himself, thinking about how they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Sure, there would be a lot of planning and arrangements to make, but come what may, they would tackle everything as a team. They were <em> Lio de Galon </em> after all.</p><p>Still, he did have one thing weighing on his mind. Thinking back to their visit today and seeing how sad Lio looked having to leave Calliope behind, he was positive that <em> this </em> was the matter Lio had wanted to bring up earlier. He decided that if Lio was too nervous to bring it up, Galo would  be the one who did it first. It seemed like a reasonable thing to bring up at the asscrack of dawn.</p><p>“Hey, Lio?” A sleepy grunt of acknowledgement against his back is the only response he gets. “Remember how you said you wanted to talk to me about something earlier today? So, like, you know I love and support you no matter what, yeah? I know you love going to see Calli and I saw how devastated you were having to leave her behind. I get that maybe you were just too upset to bring it up to me earlier, but I’m just saying, because I know how much you love and care for her, that if it’s what you want, then I want you to know, that I would love to adopt her with you.”</p><p>Galo finishes his rambling speech and waits for Lio’s big answer. When he doesn’t get an ‘<em> Oh thank you Galo, you incredibly smart and sexy hunk! Please make more sweet, sweaty love to me!’ </em>from Lio and is instead met with total silence, Galo sighs dejectedly, realizing Lio is probably dead asleep and didn’t hear any of that. Well, that’s what he thinks until he’s walloped upside the head with a pillow.</p><p>“Galo Thymos, what the actual fuck are you on about?” Lio is sitting up now, already red-faced and very much wide awake.</p><p>“Li-?”</p><p>“You just proposed to me a few hours ago and already you want a baby?”</p><p>“Uh, was that <em> not </em> what you wanted to talk to me about today?” Galo is sitting up again and trying to calm Lio down before he wakes the whole neighborhood. In hindsight, maybe Galo should have thought this through a bit more.</p><p>“What?! No! I wanted to tell you I finished filling out the application for the fire academy. You keep telling me you think I’d make a good firefighter, so I’m finally taking the steps to get there! I had hoped the Burnish community was in a good enough spot that I could step back a bit, but clearly we still have a few bumps in the road. <em> That </em> is what I wanted to surprise you with, not <em> a baby.</em>”</p><p>Lio bursts out laughing. At least he wasn’t angry. He pushes Galo back down on the bed and crawls on top of him.</p><p>“You are the most ridiculous, most wonderful, most baffling man I could ever hope to fall in love with, Galo, but why the fuck did you think I was going to spring asking you to adopt Calli with me?”</p><p>Now it’s Galo’s turn to feel flustered and embarrassed. “I-I don’t know! Look, I see how sad you get every time you have to leave her. And I know you care about and want to protect all of the Burnish, but I can tell Calliope is special to you. So I feel like I’m not that crazy for thinking you might want something like that.”</p><p>Galo can feel himself wanting to shrink away from the intensity of Lio’s gaze fixed firmly upon him. He looks deadly serious in the dim lighting of their bedroom.</p><p>“Anyway… So, uh, I’m really happy you’re serious about wanting to train at the fire academy so we can partner up on the job! And now let’s pretend I never brought up that <em> other </em> thing and go to sleep. Good night!” Galo gives Lio a big, nervous, fake smile before trying to roll over and hide his shame, but he’s stopped by a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Are you serious about what you said?” Lio asks barely above a whisper. </p><p>“Yeah! We’re going to be fighting fires again, together! Just like when we saved the world. It’s going to be great-”</p><p>“Not that, Galo. The other thing.”</p><p>“‘Bout adopting Calli? Yeah, absolutely. I meant it. One hundred and ten percent, Firebug.” Galo was nothing if not a man of his convictions. </p><p>Lio smirks at that, like how could he ever doubt Galo’s willful stubbornness when it comes to making big, important decisions. “Okay, so, I would be lying if I said I never thought about it before. I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up to you? I mean, we’ve never really talked about what our future together would look like, but I did just agree to marry you, so maybe now is a good time to start?”</p><p>“Sounds good to me. Growing up I didn’t have a family, but now I have you, Lio, and if you want to have kids, then I say, let’s do it! I’d do anything to make you happy, Firebug.”</p><p>“I would do anything to make you happy too, Galo,” he promises and seals his vow with a kiss to Galo’s lips. “You make it sound so easy though.”</p><p>“Well, sure! There’s nothing we can’t handle as partners.” His arms snake their way around Lio’s waist as he buries them both back under the covers. “It might take some time, plus a mountain of paperwork, and we probably should look into getting a bigger place, but I think you, Calli, and I would make a nice little family together. What do you say?”</p><p>“I <em> should </em>say that this is crazy and we’re going way too fast, but, honestly, I can’t think of a more perfect future for us.”</p><p>“Yeah? I love the sound of it too. We can figure out this all out a bit better in the morning. Right now I think I’m finally ready to crash.” Galo adds with a yawn as he cuddles up closer to Lio, “I love you, Firebug.”</p><p>“I love you too, Galo.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry about this taking forever! I was seriously burnt out after the holidays. While I still plan on writing a small epilogue, I'm choosing to mark this as complete for now as I'm taking another break and I'm not sure when I will get around to it.<br/>The BIGGEST thank you to Serotoninshift for helping me edit and read through it. She is an amazing writer, please go check out all of her stuff.<br/>Hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave kudos or comments down below if you did, I would really appreciate it.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! My plan is to have a NSFW chapter after this with a follow up epilogue as well. If sexy times ain't your thing, I think this works as it's own self contained story.<br/>Please go follow and check out Octostardraws' art on her twitter. It's all gorgeous and I can't get enough - https://twitter.com/juugatsuhoshi<br/>Please go read anything and everything SerotoninShift has written, it's just SO!! GOOD!!<br/>If you liked this, I would love to read any comments you have or just leave a kudos. I would really appreciate it. ❤️</p></blockquote></div></div>
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